Concert Review: Stretch – Wine Cellar November 8, 2020

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The wonderful live shows just keep on coming. This time its Stretch at Auckland’s Wine Cellar.

With a new album, Our Dreams Are Changing, newly hatched, Stretch and two of his musical compadres  treated a Sunday evening audience to some truly special music.

Hailing from Hawke’s Bay, Stretch was accompanied by Paula Sugden, who plays a 300 year old cello named Clyde and drummer Arahi Whaanga.

Let’s face it, drummers in general have a reputation for being the loose cannons in a band (see Spinal Tap), but Arahi has got to be the most stoic, intense percussionist I’ve seen in a very long while.

The set began at around 7:30pm with a few songs from Stretch’s previous album, Bury All Horses. Actually there were six songs in total from the album, the standout for me being Nothing Can Hurt You.

Cellist Paula Sugden let loose on 6 Tears, giving us a preview of the new album and her contribution to Stretch’s “new” sound.

The vibe in the Wine Cellar was warm and inviting and the audience was pretty-much hypnotized by Stretch’s songs and his performance.

It is a performance that is surprisingly physical, with Stretch often pacing the small stage like a caged tiger. It was obvious that he “needed” to get these new song out.

And out they came.

After performing songs from the new album, we were treated to one last tune…an emotional reading of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire.

Beautiful evening, beautiful sounds and beautiful people.

 

Marty Duda

Stretch setlist:

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